Who Do You Love?
by SilviaKae
Summary: Julie Kae, a young car enthusiast, moves down to SoCal (South California) where the car scenes are heated. She realizes that she's in more trouble than needed when men begin to chase her from left to right, not just for her heart but for her car. [This is my first story. I have a repetition issue and grammar is not wonderful. Try to enjoy, however!] [ON HOLD]
1. First Night in LA (Part 1)

_Disclaimer: I don't own any TFaTF characters. All credit goes to the TFaTF franchise. The only things I own are my OCs._

_Also, any songs that you will come across are not owned by me. Credit goes to the rightful owners, etc. You get it. _

**Perspectives (POVs) will change from time to time. Treat the story like a movie, if you'd like.**

**Because I jump straight into the story, here's the main character's description:**

_Name: Julie Kae [Kaewburesai] - (Last name was too long so Father shortened to Kae after moving to America)_

_Age: 21_

_Ethinicity: Thai_

_Hair Color: Black_

_Eye Color: Brown_

_Martial Status: Single _

_Car: 1992 Nissan 240sx Coupe (Modified) - "Silvia"_

_Height: 5'7 Weight: 135lbs_

_Hobbies: Drawing - Racing - Drifting - Sleeping _

_Personality: (Will be determined by reader)_

* * *

**First Night in LA**

"Hey kid, these races ain't for fun and games. It's all about making money, baby girl." A tall, chubby man smirked and reached out with his hands. "So what's it gonna be? You gon' bet and take on a race? Or just bet for a racer?" He leaned in slightly. "Trust me, these racers got it good. Each are experts at this shit. It'll be a good show."

"I"ll take up the offer of trying out a race." I handed him $500 in cash and smiled. "When's the next race? And by experts? What do you mean?"

"Please don't tell me you're new to this?" He rolled his eyes and coughed. "Them experts out there are tuned UP! They ain't playing out in these streets. You thinking about taking them, you gotta have the guts. What you drivin' anyways, girl? Not a little buggy is it?" He chuckled and peered behind her. "That yours?"

"Yeah. The Silvia's mine. I just came here to race once, nothing more." I nodded and turned my head to see the racers' cars. The guy was right. I was up against a variety of modified imports - and a pink kouki that caught my eye the most. "That Kouki there - who's the driver?"

"Ah, that beast? Letty's the owner. She don't play no games when it comes to these races. It's all about taking the win." The man released a short sigh with his hands on his cheeks. I had realized then that he was beginning to admire her as though he had already crushed on her before. "Letty is such a dream!" He snapped out of his daydream and added, "I'd be amazed if you took her down - haha, IF you can take her down."

"I'm here for the fun, not for the money." I smiled and turned away to hop into my Silvia.

"Next race starts soon, baby girl. Get your ride up there before it starts!" The man hollered and I waved out of the window.

* * *

I nodded and pulled up to the empty space beside the black Honda EG hatchback (civic). The owner looked over at me and winked. "Hey baby, think you can take this on? I don't think so."

I shrugged my shoulders carelessly and smiled. "That EG hatch looks pretty tuned - but I bet that NOS is going to do most of the work."

He jerked his head back and gasped. I must've hit a nerve that fast. "Well then lady, we'll see who's gonna be kissing my tail lights soon."

"Certainly not me," I replied with a slight giggle. "V-tec's just not my thing." I then turned away and glanced forward at the road ahead.

A slender, tall woman approached the middle of the road with two flags. She smiled at everyone and looked at the drivers. "Rev up babes! Get ready!" She threw her arms in the air with the flags wielded tightly. Each driver was revving crazily. "Ready." The revs grew louder. "Set." Louder. "GO!" The woman shouted as she threw the flags down and each driver sped past her with lightning speed.

I noticed the black Toyota Supra was ahead of everyone else and the car in front of me just happened to be the EG from earlier. I smiled to myself and shifted into fourth gear. I was easily able to slip past the guy just in time to see that he was rather angry. He was now the one "kissing my tail lights" and I threw a peace sign out the window. "Nice seeing you!" I approached the next car ahead of me - it was the pink Kouki. I sped up just enough to ride beside the girl and she quickly looked over at me with a smile. "You're pretty fast!" She then returned her gaze to the road and sped off just as I had expected. It was a chase now.

I kicked the clutch and shifted to 5th and somehow managed to pass the girl. I looked back at her and she threw a kind thumbs up. I suppose she wasn't too angry that I had passed her.

There was the last driver. It was the black Supra that easily passed everyone the moment the race started. My engine roared as I caught up to the guy. We were fighting for the finish line. Each time I was an inch further, he'd pass me and then it would repeat.

**Sirens.** The sound of cop sirens went off and the road ahead was blocked off by a line of police cars. Aware that I had been through this once before in NorCal, I busted a U-turn to avoid them and sped off.

"Well this sucks." I watched as the others drove off their own separate ways except the Supra who was following me.

"Hey, follow me kid. They're not going to find us if we head to this one spot." The guy said as he drove close to me. "Your car's a beauty and we shouldn't risk any losses so c'mon!"

"I have no other choice..." I threw a thumbs up out of the window and followed him. We drifted corners and remained close until we arrived at what appeared to be a warehouse. Slowly we entered the warehouse and my eyes widened in amazement.

There were so many imports and modified cars of all brands parked around. It was a huge party and I wasn't the party type.

"This place is where the race after parties are. It's called the 'Fort'. We all got our own little crews here but I'm sure you'll fit in just fine." The guy in the Supra added with a grin and parked his car alongside mines. "C'mon. Have some fun!" He knocked on my roof.

I shrugged and exited the car. The guy was a cutie - muscular figure with a nice smile. Strong brown eyes and sharp face. His tattoos...they did resemble something familiar. He appeared to be Japanese. "You from around here?" He asked while observing me from head to toe.

"I'm actually from Northern California." I smiled and shook my head. "I'm new to the scene down here. I never caught your name."

"Name's Kazuhiro but you can call me Hiro for short." He nodded at me and poked my shoulder. "So what's your name?"

"Julie," I answered politely and blushed. "I don't really have any nicknames so..."

"Don't worry about it. Oh! My crew is over there and yes, we are all Japanese. I'm sure they would love to see your 240sx! It's clean!" He smiled and walked over to his crew members. I stood quietly and tilted my head as he gestured me to come over.

I approached the group of men and stood shyly. "Hello.." I smiled at each of them.

Kazuhiro looked over at the two and nodded. "Kanojo wa machi de atarashī on'nanokodesu."

The men nodded and bowed politely.

"Sorry, English not good." Ichiro said hesitantly and blinked. "But, very nice to meet you."

Natsuki nodded and shook hands with me. He was the quiet one.

"Natsuki is mute and many make fun of him because of it, but he's strong-willed and is capable of outwitting many racers." Kazuhiro smiled at him and shifted his gaze back to me. "You and I both had a tie, but you should go collect your winnings from the others. I'll be here if you wish to talk some more." He patted my shoulder and slipped $300 into my hoodie pocket. "First time right? Keep it up with the S13." I blinked and tried to give him the $300 back, but he refused to accept. I sighed and nodded. He then turned away and began to chatter with the others.

* * *

"Kanojo wa kawaīdesu. Dō omou?" Kazuhiro chuckled and nudged Ichiro's arm.

Ichiro giggled, "Kanojo wa mushiro uchikina yōdearu."

"Shy or not, she's still cute." Kazuhiro replied as he watched her walk off.

"Watashi wa kanojo ga kabushiki KA to no rēsu ni katsu tsumoridatta nante shinjirarenai." Ichiro rubbed his chin and examined her S13 from a distance.

Kazuhiro laughed and crossed his arms. "Anata wa machigatte iru. She's running something more powerful than a stock KA under that hood if she's able to keep up with a 2jz." He glared at the S13.

* * *

"You lost to another girl?!" The crew stared at Letty in shock and she nodded.

"Girl's a tough chick. Didn't even bother to speak when she saw me. That S13 has something in it that's way too powerful."

"Can't be stock KA and that's for sure." Jesse added and shrugged. "Don't recall ever seeing her around here either."

"Hey, you should go converse with her. Get to know the chick and see if she's cool." Dom suggested and laughed as Letty sighed.

"Nah, we'll wait it out." Letty smiled and leaned into his arms calmly.

"If you say so, cutie." Dominic kissed her forehead and watched the girl carefully.

"Seems like Tran's crew is approaching her."

"Think it's bad?" Leon questioned and observed the girl carefully.

"We'll see." Dominic replied. "Guy over there has his eye on her too." He pointed at Kazuhiro.

* * *

I was never used to being around this many people. A man suddenly approached me with others and he looked down at me with a genuine smile. "Seen you racing back there. You're good."

I smiled at him kindly. "Thanks."

"No problem." The man stepped a little closer, his lips curving higher.

"Well it seems I should get going." I tried to walk away but he blocked my view once more.

"You don't look like you're from around here." He smiled. "You're cute, actually. What's your name?"

"I have to go." I was becoming a bit frightened now and took a step back. The men were still surrounding me.

I then felt a hand touch my shoulder gently. I jumped and turned around. It was Kazuhiro.

"Is there a problem here?" Kazu interrupted and stood in between the man and I. "You alright Julie?"

"Kazuhiro Takashi. Nice seeing you." The man smiled at him and crossed his arms."We were just conversing." He then shifted his gaze down to me and smirked. Something about his smile concerned me. "So that's your name pretty lady? Good to know." He turned away with his crew and returned to their cars.

Kazuhiro sighed and patted my head. "Try your best to avoid him. He's one of the richest kids here in LA - spoiled , bratty, and selfish."

"Will do." I sighed in relief and looked around. "I should get going now."

"Will you be alright?" Kazuhiro tilted his head and rose an eyebrow. "You know I can ride by you if anything happens?"

"You're being too friendly." I giggled and lightly punched his shoulder. "I'll be alright."

"I just don't trust the likes of that guy." He sighed and looked me dead in the eyes. "I know we just met, kid but I'm just trying to make sure you'll get home safe. You'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine." I ensured and nodded my head.

Kazuhiro remained silent for a few seconds and then nodded. "Okay."

We turned away from each other afterwards.

* * *

Johnny stood by his crew and ladies joined him in his arms. His eyes however were not on the ladies - they were on Julie. He had already taken an interest in the young girl even though their conversation had been quick. She looked liked she was leaving the warehouse. He figured this was his chance to go chase her and down and possibly race her around the streets. Although it was risky, he didn't care one bit.

"Hey, guys. I have an idea." Johnny smirked and pushed the girls away from him. "We have a little chasing to do."

Lance turned his gaze to Kazuhiro and his crew. "Doesn't seem like it'll be easy though."

"If they wish to join, then allow them to join. "

"But..." Lance glared at him. "You know we don't want trouble with them? They're Ya-"

"Shut it. Where do you think we stand Lance? We're apart of something as well, remember?"

"...Right."

* * *

Another man approached me. It was the chubby guy from earlier. He had a fat stack of cash in his hand and a smile on his face. "Here's your winnings from the others, baby girl. You and that Supra was a close call - but I think you took the win." He handed me the cash. "$2000. Take care of yourself and your Silvia." He turned away to enjoy the party again.

I pulled out my phone and checked my texts. I had one unread message from Fernando:

"Cops got hot out there. Fucking police always ruin shit. Where you at? I got some details about some parts for Sylvia."

Was I going to reply? I instead, put away my phone and walked off to my car. I waved at Kazuhiro and he waved back kindly. What a nice guy.

I started the car and drove out of the garage, trying not to rev as loudly but still, all eyes were on me as I left. However I wasn't the only leaving now. The loud revs of a Honda followed behind me as well the revs from a motorcycle. Sounded like a Kawasaki. I figured something was off, something was going to happen so I took off as fast as I could. As I drove off, I looked in the mirror only to see that the Honda S2K and motorcycle was following me. Oh boy.

* * *

Fernando sat down and sighed, staring at his phone. "Don't tell me she's at a party." He laughed and thought about it. "Nah, she ain't even the party type."

His phone suddenly vibrated violently. It was Julie. He answered with a smile of relief. "Hey Mama Kae! Wait - what? Where are you?! Shit!" He ended the call and hurried off to his 240sx."This is bad news!" He took off.


	2. First Night in LA (Part 2)

**I didn't want this to be a separate chapter so I decided to make it a continuation for chapter one! Hope you guys don't mind. Thanks for the follows and the favorites. Enjoy!**

**First Night in LA (Part 2)**

I received a call from Fernando while driving away from the two and answered immediately.

"Fernando, they're on my tail still. What the hell do I do?" I panicked and stepped on the gas harder. "No! I can't do that! Wait…" I heard a loud rev in the distance. My gaze shifted to the mirror to see it was Kazuhiro. He sped past the S2K and caught up to me.

"I warned you Julie; now, move to the left of me if you want to make it out of here!" I ended the call and dropped my phone on the passenger seat. With careful timing, I shifted to the lane left of Kazu and hurried off.

"Thank you Kazu!" I hollered out of the window and he nodded at me, his eyes focused on his mirror mainly.

I hope Fernando wasn't too angry that I just hung up the phone on him. It was a distraction anyways.

* * *

"Kae! You there?" Fernando held his phone close to his ear. "Mama Kae?! Where you at?!"

There was no answer.

"Did she seriously hang up on me?" He downshifted to keep at a good pace. In the distance, he could hear cars speeding and figured that was Julie and the others.

"She'd better turn this corner soon or I'm about to be up in this chase too and we all know I ain't got time to drive this piece of shit fast." He poked his head out the window and groaned. "I shoulda' rolled my fenders. Shit's rubbing against my tires like crazy."

* * *

"It's him!" Lance shouted after witnessing the Supra speed past him. He leaned over to Johnny's S2K and knocked his window. "What now?"

"We keep chasing her." Johnny insisted and noticed the Supra in front of him. "This guy really loves to get in the way of things." He released a chuckle and placed his finger on the NOS button.

"Don't take the chance, man. You're gonna wreck your S2K!" Lance shouted and watched as Johnny moved his finger away from the NOS button. "Whew."

* * *

Kazuhiro kept a close eye on his mirror to watch Johnny. "This guy's persistent."

He shot a quick glance at Julie and noticed how scared she was. Though her hands had clung steadily on the steering wheel, he could see her arms shaking from fear. He had a feeling of anger arise within his chest and looked at his mirror, focusing on Johnny only.

Johnny was clearly not going to give up on chasing her down, so there was only one thing he could do to stop him from going any faster.

"If I risk the brake, he might ram into my Supra. I-I can't risk that..." He released his foot from the gas pedal, stepped on the clutch, and downshifted. Without hesitation, he stuck his hand out the window and gestured Johnny to stop.

* * *

"What now?" Johnny slowed down and rode side by side with Kazuhiro. "You're interrupting my fun, kid."

Kazuhiro stared angrily at Johnny and shook his head. "Back off the girl already, Tran."

"Or what? You already in love with the girl?"

They both stopped their cars, as well as Lance who stopped his motorcycle.

"You're scaring her, Johnny." Kazuhiro replied with a clear fire burning in his eyes. "Stick to your racer chasers and leave her alone."

Lance sighed, "Chỉ cần lắng nghe các chàng trai. [Just listen to the guy.]" He coughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Johnny, maybe we should just let this go for the night, yeah?"

"Những gì đã nhận được vào bạn Lance?[So you want to stand on someone else's side now, Lance?]" Johnny spat on Kazu's driver side door. "Bạn tốt hơn xem chính mình Kazuhiro."

"You want to say that in English?" Kazuhiro exited his car and scowled at Johnny. "Get out your car, Tran."

Johnny smirked and exited his car, staring straight at Kazuhiro. "You heard me. I said, 'You better watch yourself.'" He snickered. "You think I'm scared of a little Yakuza boy?

"Yakuza?" Kazuhiro grew enraged and pointed his finger directly at Johnny's face. "Don't bring the Yakuza in this. You know nothing of it!"

"Ah, ah. That's where you're wrong, kid." Johnny shook his finger at Kazuhiro with a sly smile. "Your older brother's a part of the Yakuza. Isn't he known as the 'Drift King' in Japan? You work under him. I know you do, kid. I've got people who keep an eye out for racers out here just like you, Kazuhiro."

"I see." Kazu chuckled and nodded. "You can be quite impressive sometimes, Johnny. Bet you're famous for being such an asshole, huh?" He clenched his fists.

"Heh. I've wasted enough time chit chatting about your brother and your pathetic self. I'll be seeing you on the streets soon enough." Johnny gestured Lance to leave and returned to his car. They took off before Kazuhiro could speak any further.

"I should've hit him at least once," Kazuhiro thought to himself as he entered his Supra. "Well, as long as the girl's alright. I'm alright." He drove back to the warehouse.

* * *

I turned the next corner and coincidentally ran into Fernando. "Turn around now!"

We took off together back to his place and parked in front of his garage.

"What the hell were you thinking going out there like that?!" Fernando tossed himself on his couch in the garage and glared at me. "You coulda' got damn near hurt by anyone and I wouldn't have been there to protect your ass."

"I'm sorry Fernando. I was only curious about the race scene out here."

"I guess curiosity almost killed the cat. Good thing you and Silvia still in one piece." Fernando lifted his bottle of Budweiser and took a small sip. "Who was chasing you anyways?"

"Guy in a black S2K and another guy on the motorcycle. Sounded like a Kawasaki." I leaned against the hood of Silvia and buried my face into my two bare hands. "You don't know how scared I was. The guy wouldn't stop either - that was until..." I lifted my head and sighed. "Someone came to the rescue and helped me out. I met a guy at the warehouse - Japanese with a black Supra."

"Black Supra? Oh!" Fernando clasped his hands together with a smile. "Hiro? That dude's fucking nice as hell. Sometimes I feel bad that he's that nice." He threw his head back on the couch. "You owe him something Julie. Guy saved your ass."

"I know, I know." I scratched my head.

"Take his ass out on a date!" Fernando laughed and I rolled my eyes. "He ain't been with someone for a long time." He stretched. "He works at this one auto shop. Heard it's owned by his brother, but he's watching it for him. Think it's called Takashi Auto Body?"

"I'll consider paying a visit, but JUST a visit." I assured and heard nothing but laughter from Fernando.

"You telling me you ain't gonna give this guy a chance? C'mon." He threw a towel at me and I caught it easily. "You been single forever, girl. My little cousin's like 10 and she already got a boyfriend."

"Pssh," I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "You're just trying to play the guilt game on me. Anyways..." I walked over to the cooler to grab a bottle of water. "The guy with the S2K...what's his problem? He was super creepy in the warehouse too."

"Johnny Tran. Richest, filthiest kid in LA. Fucking kid is spoiled by his pops. Heard his pops owns a car company and some restaurants down Hollywood. He's the big deal." Fernando took another sip from the Budwieser. "Tran's someone you gotta stay away from, Kae. He's selfish and controlling. Racer chasers love him. Heard he's involved in some mafia shit too. Kid's a fucking mess."

"Racer chasers?" I tilted my head and blinked.

"You know, the girls who walk around with their asses hanging out and chests out like their mama didn't teach them well? If a racer wins," He threw his bottle in the trash. "The racer chasers sleep with the winner. Then it becomes kinda like a use and toss thing you know? Use her and then get rid of her." He snickered. "One time, this dude slept with a racer chaser, got her pregnant, then got a restraining order from the girl. Funniest thing ever."

I spat my water out and bursted into laughter. "You serious? Is there anything else I should know about Tran besides the racer chasers that love him?"

"Tran's been single for awhile." He added and smirked. "Girlfriend dumped him because he spent way too much time with his family and cars. She accused of him of sharing a gay relationship with his cousin, Lance. You know, the guy on the motorcycle? They're super close."

"No way!" I shouted, and snorted. "That's true humor right there. So he's a family person?"

"Yeah, family, cars, and honor. Three things that matter to him the most."

"Doesn't seem like too bad of a guy?" I took a sip of water and sighed. "Scary how he was chasing me though."

"Geez," Fernando coughed and shook his head. "You be careful around Tran. Don't get fooled by his nice side. You already seen how he tried to chase you down."

"I know, Nando. I know." I yawned. "I'm going to call it a night and head home."

"Need me to drive with you in case shit goes down again?"

"Nah, I'm good." I walked over and gave him a friendly hug. "Probably going to shop around for a bit tomorrow. I threw out so much clothes when I moved here." I giggled with a hint of sadness.

"Alright. See you later, champ." He grabbed another beer from the cooler and sat back on the couch with his eyes on Silvia.

"Same to you Nando." I entered the car and reversed out of the driveway.

* * *

After returning to my new apartment, I parked my beloved Silvia and popped the steering wheel off. Carrying it back to the apartment, I shot one glance back at Silvia and smiled to myself. She sat beautifully beneath the moonlight. "I guess this is good night."

I then nodded and turned away, shutting the apartment door behind me.


	3. Meet Johnny Tran

**"Meet Johnny Tran"**

The next day, I awoke with a huge headache. That chase last night gave me the worst of spooks.

I then rose out of bed and walked off to my closet where my clothes were still packed. Shit. I forgot to unpack everything still. I decided to choose a simple outfit: white tee, shorts, and chucks. I entered the bathroom and started the showers. The water was stupendously hot. For a new apartment, the showers sure didn't seem to impress me with its stupendous hot water. After the shower, I cleaned up a bit and stared into space.

"Now, now where to go first?" My stomach growled. "Food!"

I rushed out of the apartment and approached my car, kneeling down beside the rear bumper. There was a chip on the left bottom corner. Seeing small chips didn't bother me at this point. I used to cry for days when I would accidentally scrape my lip against something. I thought being lowered was fun, but after drifting and racing I figured the car would need some raising...sadly.

Tacos sounded good right about now. For breakfast? Yeah.

I started my engine and revved lightly.

* * *

_My Silvia was my one and only love. It started out as a piece of crap from the junkyard and with the help of my few friends __and my father __I managed to bring it back to life.__ I bought it for about $700 since it was nearly destroyed.__I decided to repaint the Silvia a different color from the original. The red was horrid so I stuck with the idea of royal blue and it came out perfect. I came across some Volks T37s and threw them onto the Silvia. Now that I look at her, she is nothing but perfection. And the engine? It's not a stock KA. Father wrecked his Nissan Skyline R34 in a drift contest and decided to help me out with my build. He then gave me the RB26._

* * *

I had no idea of where to find tacos, but I decided to try to drive around. After all, my apartment wasn't too far from the shopping plazas as I figured.

The city was lively in the morning - people were walking about, some with dogs and some with their children. Some racers were parked along the sidewalks of burger shacks and other food shops. I liked the vibe here.

Up ahead, there were two taco trucks parked within a small lot and a good amount of people crowded around the trucks. I suppose that was a good thing.

I parked along the sidewalks and walked up to the first taco truck. The cashier looked down at me with a genuine smile and waved. "Hey! Never seen you around here. What would you like Miss?"

"I'm new around here," I answered and tilted my head. "I'll take four tac-"

"We'll take 8 tacos." A voice interrupted and a man approached my side.

"Oh, that'll be $18 please." The cashier nodded and accepted the money from him. I was confused for a second and then I realized that it was him. It was Johnny.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned and shot him a cold glare.

"Well," Johnny grinned and handed me a can of Coke. "I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I am aware that I kinda scared you."

"Kinda?" I shoved him out of the way and growled, sitting at a table. He followed behind and sat across from me."Okay. I know you're upset alright? Can we please just talk this out?"

* * *

_One of the workers place the radio outside of the truck and the song "I Could Fall In Love With You" by Selena plays while customers chat and eat._

* * *

"What do you want?" I continued to glare at him coldly.

"Nothing but your company." He sat back in his chair, his eyes still on me.

I mumbled, "I'm sure that's a damn lie."

A bell rung. "Eight tacos?"

Johnny then shook his head with a smile and rose out of his chair to go get the food. He returned and placed the plate in the middle. "Four for me and four for you unless you're too hungry then you can eat the plate."

"Funny." A small chuckle escaped my lips and I grabbed one taco. It smelled delicious. Atop the tortilla sat a nice stack of warm steak topped off with freshly cut onions, tomatoes, cilantro and shreds of cheese. There was also a nice spread of hot sauce above it all.

Johnny reached to grab a taco and bit into it. Bits of the taco fell on his shirt and the table. Catching a quick glance at his chest, I noticed he was very toned; it was obvious because his muscles were visible.

"So Johnny, was it? I asked, directing my attention to his face.

He finished the taco and smiled. "Julie?"

"Seriously. Why did you buy me food? And how did you know I was here?"

"I was already here. Lance was supposed to join me but he had a family emergency so I had no one to eat with and then there was you." He pointed at my car. "I had a feeling that was you and I took this as my chance to apologize to you as well."

"Winning my forgiveness by buying me food? I don't know about that." I giggled and shook my head.

"Never expected you to forgive me...but you do have a nice smile." He winked and continued to eat.

"Flattered." I rose an eyebrow and reached for another taco. My eyes widened in shock; he had eaten three tacos and I still had two sitting on the plate. "You're a real fast eater or I'm just a real slow eater."

"I get that a lot." He grinned, pointing at my Silvia. "So you're a Nissan girl?"

"Nissan and Toyota." I smiled and glanced over my shoulder at Silvia. She sat patiently with her eyes sleepy. "And you? You're a Honda boy?"

"You could say so." He laughed and we glanced at each other. "Hey Julie?"

"Yeah?" I found him gazing into my eyes deeply and I blinked. "Is there something on my face?"

"Your lips, cheeks, nose, and eyes. Beautiful eyes." His smile brightened. "You're turning red? Chile sauce getting to you?" He chuckled.

Before I knew it, my cheeks were red and I laughed it off. "Yeah, Chile tends to get to me sometimes." I was down to my last taco and so was he.

He reached for his last taco and lifted it towards me. "Take a bite."

"I'm not a kid." I laughed and he insisted. "No, Johnny. Haha!"

He shrugged and took a bite of the taco. "You're missing out on the best taco."

"But we have the same taco." I shook my head."You're strange." I extended my hand out to reach for the taco and grabbed it gently. "Last one!" I shouted happily and ate it quickly.

Johnny cracked a smile as he handed me the can of Coke. "Will you take it now?"

"Yes..." I popped open the can and took a a light sip. The burning sensation down my throat from the gas sent tingles down my spine. I then shivered slightly and sighed in relief. "Coca Cola is the best." A burp slipped out and I instantly covered my mouth. "Oops..."

He laughed, "Cute."

I shifted my gaze to his lips and when he revealed his teeth, I laughed uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" He watched as I laughed.

I pointed at his teeth. "Saving that for later?" He had a piece of cilantro stuck between his two front teeth.

He caught on to what I was laughing at and shrugged. "And what if I am?" His cheeks were lightly pink. He pulled out the piece of cilantro and flicked it towards the floor. "Seems like you might be saving some for yourself too."

"What?" I gasped and covered my mouth again, trying to pull out the piece of cilantro from my teeth but there was nothing.

"Haha, your reaction was priceless."

"Not nice." I pouted and my phone began to ring. It was Fernando. I quickly answered with a smile. "Good morning Fernando." Johnny looked at me intently.

"Hey Mama, where you at?"

"I'm at-" Johnny grabbed the phone from me and put it to his ear. "Hey, she's a little busy right now." He ended the call.

* * *

Fernando looked at his phone and laughed. "Did Mama Kae find herself a man that fast? Damn girl."

* * *

I snatched the phone from him and growled. "Why'd you do that?"

He shrugged and frowned, "Felt a little lonely."

"Johnny." I felt my lips curving just as his began to curve upwards. "Next time, let me take the call."

"So I take it you'd like to have breakfast some time again?" He placed a hand under his chin and leaned his elbow on the table.

"I don't know yet." I rose out of my chair and handed him $10. "That was for my four tacos."

"No need," he pushed my hand back and closed my hand into a fist. "Keep it." His hand was still on my fist and he gently pulled me over to him. "Do you mind talking for a bit more?"

"I-I guess I have time to spare." I pulled my hand away from his hand and sat back down. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Mind talking about where you're from? Why you came here?" He leaned in closely with interest.

"I'm from Northern California and I used to live with my father. He attended drift contests almost every week and yes - he was a Nissan lover. Northern California became harsh on racers and decided to set up too many laws. Dad knew with all the modifications on my car I had, LA would've been the perfect place for me to fit in so he bought an apartment out here for me and now I'm here."

"So you're running something illegal under the hood?" Johnny shook his head in belief. "Continue."

"Illegal in California but she's all that I have now." I frowned.

"For now." He cleared his throat and looked away with a smirk.

"What was that?" I threw a napkin at him and laughed. "So tell me about yourself, Johnny."

"What would you like to know?" He asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why do you like Hondas so much?"

Johnny scratched his hand and arched an eyebrow. "Honda. I like Hondas because I grew up around them. Most of my family members had their civics, integras, and only a few had their Toyotas and Nissans. My dad also owns the Honda company around here."

"Have you ever considered trying out a different brand?"

"No." He laughed. "My cars and motorcycles are all Honda."

"I'm assuming that Honda CBR sitting over there is yours?" I pointed at the motorcycle parked in the lot.

"You know your motorcycles too?" He seemed impressed. "Is that all you'd like to know?"

"What's the funniest thing that has happened to you?"

"Haha, glad you asked." He began to laugh. "My ex-girlfriend accused me of sharing gay relations with my cousin, Lance. Caught us hugging one day but I tried to explain to her that he was going through hardships and a hug was the best I could do but she didn't bother to talk to me afterwards." A sigh slipped from his lips. "Sometimes, I wish I never met the girl. She had more problems than my junkyard civic."

I found myself laughing harder than I should have been. "I'm sorry for laughing but that's so funny..." I remembered Fernando telling me the same thing.

"What about you, Julie?" He looked into my eyes again and I blushed.

"Eh, well... I remember the first time I was learning how to drive stick, I stalled and thought I broke the car. I cried for two hours straight while my father was trying to convince me that the car was not broken. After all that crying, I started dying of laughter. Never have I felt so embarrassed in my entire life."

"Haha, I can imagine you looking pretty cute crying." He laughed along with me.

"I think I should get going. I forgot I have to pay a visit to a shop." I gasped and scratched my head, rising from my chair.

"That's fine." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Keep in touch?"

"Maybe." I grabbed his phone and added my number in his contacts. "Promise me you won't annoy me."

"Promise." He chuckled and rose out of his chair as well. "Nice getting to meet you today."

"Same." We turned away from each other and wandered off to our rides. My phone then rang. It was an unknown number. I answered and sighed, "Johnny, what did I say?"

He giggled, "Missed you already."

"Stop being silly," I ended the call and entered my car. I waved out of the window and he waved back, slowly taking off on his motorcyle. He looked kinda cute with his helmet on. Wait, what was I saying? I still can't believe I just sat down with Johnny Tran. How could I be so stupid?

Fernando's voice rung in my head, "Don't be fooled by his nice side". I sighed, and slammed my head onto the steering wheel. I started my Silvia and bit my lip. "I even gave him my number! Agh!"

* * *

Johnny sat on his CBR and glanced over at Julie. He smiled to himself and was about to put the key into the ignition when he suddenly received a call on his phone. It was Lance.

"Mọi thứ đều ổn chứ? [Everything okay?]" Johnny questioned as he sat patiently.

"Em gái tôi đã có một phản ứng dị ứng với dứa. Tôi đã phải đưa cô đến bệnh viện. Cô không sao bây giờ.[My sister had an allergic reaction to pineapple. I had to take her to the hospital. She's okay now.]" Lance replied. "How was breakfast?"

"It was wonderful actually. I had someone else keep me company."

"Really? What? One of your racer chasers?"

"Not a chance, " He laughed. "Remember the girl from last night?"

"Julie? What?"

"Yeah. Seems like I can keep in touch with her now. Got a lot to tell you when I see you."

"I bet. You busy now?"

"No. I'll head over in a bit." He ended the call and threw on his helmet. He looked over at Julie once more and noticed her looking his direction. He giggled and started the ignition, driving off to Lance's place.

* * *

_Music cuts off in the background._

* * *

**OOS (Out of Story):**

**I apologize if I ended the chapter a little fast but I'm sure you guys want to know what happens when she heads over to the shop to pay a visit to Kazuhiro, right? Be patient, readers! Gaining followers and it's making me eager to write more. What do you guys think of Johnny Tran so far? I will try to update here and there. So far I'm on a roll. Thank you, thank you. Thought this chapter was cute for some reason. You know, the cilantro part? Haha.**


	4. What's Under the Hood?

**What's Under the Hood?**

Kazuhiro popped open the trunk of the Supra and looked around. "Where could it be...oh there you are." He pulled out a 9mm, noticing the amount of dust it caught and handed it to Ichiro. "Watashi wa sore ga kurīningu o hitsuyō to shite iru to omoimasu."

Ichiro carefully grabbed the gun from him and smiled. "Sore wa hijō ni kitanaidesu."

"Yes, I know it's dirty. I haven't used it in awhile and that's why I'm asking you to clean it, please." Kazuhiro laughed and closed his trunk. His phone began to vibrate on the coffee table next to the Supra. "I wonder who it could be..." He walked over to the table and glanced over his phone. "Ah, Takashi." He answered the call. "Big brother, long time no talk." He leaned against his Supra and smirked.

* * *

The next stop was Takashi's Auto Body. The only problem was getting there. I dialed Fernando's number and pressed the call button. I waited patiently while his ridiculous waiting tune played.

"Mama Kae. Who the hell was that earlier?" Fernando questioned.

"Just a friend." I replied. "Anyways, I need directions to Takashi Auto Body."

"Where you at right now?"

"Small lot with two taco trucks." I looked around for street names. "Market Street."

"Oh, then you're not too far I think. Head down Market Street and then hit a left on Pine. Look around afterwards for a body shop. Should be the only shop on that first turn."

"Okay. Thanks." I ended the call and headed over to the auto shop. I had this gut feeling that Johnny was following. Quickly, I peered out of both windows, but there was no sign of him. Phew.

As I approached the stoplight, a yellow Nissan Skyline R33 appeared beside me. It had a simple vinyl on the driver's side as well the other side just from assumption. The driver looked over at me and smiled, "Nice Nissan, girl." He then turned away and began revving loudly. Before I knew it, I was already revving the car myself. I watched the stoplight and waited for the light to turn green. "Straight to Pine and that's all. No bets, no pink slips, nothing." He smiled. I nodded in return.

Once the light turned green, we sped off in an instant. My car was catching speed quickly and eventually we were side by side again. He took a quick peek at me and smirked, "You running a stock KA?" He turned his head back to the view ahead and stepped on the gas harder. Our exhausts screamed as we drove down the street. Heads were turning and racers were watching us intently. We had the attention of the town.

"That's for me to know, and for you to keep guessing." I replied, kicking the clutch and shifting into 4th gear. I past him and laughed as we stopped at Pine. "Nice race."

"You're good." He chuckled and threw a thumbs up. "Name's Leon. Yours?"

"Julie." I nodded and smiled as I drove off to Takashi Auto Body. He waved and took off as well. This day was already getting interesting.

Minutes later, I spotted a body shop with the words, "Takashi Auto Body", running across the upper part of the building. I decided to drive into the shop and all the workers gathered around my car.

* * *

"It's her." Kazuhiro looked over at Ichiro and nodded. "Kakusareta jū o hokan shite kudasai." He ended the call quickly and put the phone into his pocket.

Ichiro rushed over to his car and hid the gun under his front seat; he then joined the others to greet Julie.

* * *

I exited the car and looked around nervously. A familiar face approached me and offered a hug. I smiled and hugged him lightly. It was Kazuhiro. "I'm so glad I was able to see you."

"I could say the same to you." He released me from his arms and pointed at my car. "Is your car alright?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me last night. Probably would have been in big trouble."

"Don't worry about it," he patted my head and gestured everyone to get back to work. The workers directed their attention from my car back to their own vehicles. "How'd you find me?"

"A little bird told me that you worked here, " I said as he walked around my car.

"I see." He ran his fingers across the hood and smiled. "I never asked...what are you running under the hood?"

"KA24DE," I lied.

He let out a sigh and shook his head. "You almost beat me with a KA? How is that even possible?" He tapped his fingers on the hood impatiently. "Mind if I peek?"

"No, no." I walked over and sat atop the hood. "It's pretty dirty."

"No shame in that, " he added. "I understand though." He grabbed my hand, pulling me off the hood. "So, talk to me."

I blushed and pulled my hand away. "I - uh... I just came here to say thanks and all. I don't know what else to tell you."

"I'm sure you can come up with something." He crossed his arms and tapped his foot eagerly.

* * *

Johnny arrived at Lance's house and got off his motorcycle. He then walked over to the house door and rung the door bell. The door slowly opened and it was Lance's mother. "Xin chào, bà Nguyễn. [Hello Mrs. Nguyen.]" Lance's mother smiled and hugged him softly. "Xin chào Johnny. Lance là trong phòng khách. [Hello Johnny. Lance is in the living room.]"

He entered and took off his shoes. Lance's mother smiled as she shut the door behind her and walked over to the kitchen. Johnny followed behind and turned to enter the living room and sat on the couch next to Lance. "So you were speaking of news?"

"News...yeah." Johnny smirked. "Julie seems to know her cars very well."

"I take it she forgave you?" He averted his attention from the television to Johnny.

"Possibly. But I found out some small, interesting information about the girl." Johnny slowly leaned back into the couch, shaking his head.

"What?" Lance nudged his arm.

"Julie's running something illegal under that hood and it now has my curiosity." He stroked his chin and squinted his eyes. "Illegal...Illegal..." He kept repeating the same word to himself.

Lance crossed his arms, "If it's illegal, that means she basically moved to LA to avoid the cops out there, huh?"

"Exactly." He nodded and snapped his fingers. "Might you know of any illegal engine swaps for the 240sx?"

"I know that many 240sx owners swap their engines to the SR20."

"But for an SR20 to match up to a fully tuned Supra - doesn't it seem off?"

"Maybe." Lance laughed. "In fact, the Supra's not a light car while the 240sx in this case is lighter. The lighter the car, the higher the acceleration. I mean you can, " he threw his hand in the air. "Throw a boost running 13-14psi on the SR20, you'd be able to catch up to a stock supra but like you said... Kazuhiro's supra is tuned and an SR20 even with turbo might not be able to match up completely." He sighed. "I'm not sure if I'm correct but if you need more help, Hector's cousin should be able to help you."

"Hector's cousin..." Johnny tilted his head to one side. "Fernando was it?"

"Yeah, that guy." Lance nodded. "He has a 240sx, SR swapped. He might be able to help you."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Johnny leapt off the couch and smiled. "We should go ask him now."

Lance stood up and patted his shoulder. "It would be best if we asked Hector first where his cousin Fernando is located."

"Right..."

* * *

"So?" Kazuhiro softly punched my shoulder and laughed. "You're just gonna stand there?"

I began to laugh and punched his shoulder lightly back, "So what are you up to with your car?"

"I was thinking about a new paint job...but you think black suits her well enough?" He kneeled beside his fenders and tapped it lightly.

"It's all up to you, Kazuhiro." I examined the Supra and walked over to the driver side door. "Did someone spit on your car?"

"Oh..." He grabbed a wet towel and wiped off the spit with an irritated face. "Johnny spat on my car."

"Johnny..." I shook my head and bit my lower lip. Just hours ago I was sitting across from him sharing friendly smiles and laughter.

"He can be disrespectful at times." He clenched the towel in his hand and threw it to the side. "Anywho, are you busy tonight?" He lifted himself up and smiled at me.

"I don't think so..." My heart suddenly began to beat out of my chest.

"I mean since you're not busy or anything, you want to attend a small meet? It's by the beach." He kept the same smile on his face. "There will be a small barbecue too and it'll be pretty cold so you should wear a heavy sweater just in case. A small jacket's gonna leave you freezing."

"I'll consider going," I clasped my hands together and giggled. "Will there be a variety of cars?"

"It all depends on who shows up." He brought his finger to his nose and rubbed it lightly. "I'd probably guess though that you're going to be the only person with a 240 there."

"I'll think it over then."

"Well, hey." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "I have to get working on some cars, so I'll see you later, right?" He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. "Mind adding your number?"

I grabbed his phone and dialed my number. "Save it, and please it's spelled J-U-L-I-E, not July or Julee or Jewlee or however." I snorted.

"Got it," He laughed.

We turned away from each other and I hopped into my car, leaving the auto shop. They all waved and I nodded, revving loudly as I left.

* * *

"Anata wa anata no kyōdai ga anata o korosudeshou jitsugen suru ka?" Ichiro poked his head out of his car and sighed. "Anata no kyōdai, Takashi wa, shinkokuna bijinesu o nozonde iru."

"Takashi won't kill me and serious business?" Kazuhiro rolled his eyes. "I'm just conversing with a friend."

"Watashi wa shinchō ni sa reru nodesu.[I am being cautious.]" Ichiro exited his car and pointed at Kazuhiro. "Kanojo wa, anata ga koko ni motte kuru koto ga dekiru yuiitsu no mishiranu hitodesu.[She is the only stranger you can bring here.]"

"You forgot who runs this shop, Ichiro." He stormed off to his Supra and entered it, starting the engine. "I'm clocking out. Where is my gun?"

Ichiro rushed over to his car and grabbed the gun, walking it over to Kazuhiro with an urked expression. "Here."

"Remember, meet tonight - be there." Kazuhiro slammed his door shut and drove off angrily. "They'll never understand I'm grown already. I don't need Takashi to watch over me."

* * *

Ichiro walked over to Natsuki and scratched his head. "Kare wa kare no kyōdai no yōna monodesu. [He is like his brother.]"

Natsuki motioned his hands in an aggressive manner and Ichiro laughed in response. "Hai. Ikari no mondai. [Yes. Problem of anger.]"

* * *

Johnny pulled out his cellphone and dialed Hector's number while Lance and his mother were chattering among each other.

"Những gì đang xảy ra?[What's happening?]" Lance's mother whispered as she began to dice garlic on her cutting board.

Lance leaned over the counter and giggled, "Johnny đã có bạn gái mới.[Johnny has a new girlfriend.]"

"I heard that." Johnny added while waiting on the phone for Hector. "Cô ấy chỉ là một người bạn, bà Nguyễn.[She is just a friend, Mrs. Nguyen.]"

Lance's mother laughed, "Cô ấy là một cô gái xinh đẹp?[She's a beautiful girl?]"

Johnny smiled at her and nodded, slightly blushing to himself. "Tôi sẽ không phủ nhận rằng một chút. Cô ấy rất đẹp.[I will not deny that one bit. She is very beautiful.]"

Lance grinned and whispered to his mother, "Johnny là trong tình yêu một lần nữa.[Johnny is in love.]"

Hector picked up, "Ay, Tran! What's new?"

Johnny sat on the couch and leaned back, pressing his finger to his lips. Lance and his mother then grew silent. "Got a quick question."

"What's up, my man?"

"Might you know anyone with a 240sx? S13 preferrably."

"Aw, yeah! My cousin Fernando got an S13. "

"I just need to ask him a few questions, nothing more." Johnny smirked.

"Oh, he's right here if you want to speak to him on the phone."

"Where you at?"

"At my house just chillin' in my garage."

"I'll be there in a few." He ended the call and looked over at Lance. "You coming along?"

Lance nodded his head and tossed a grape into his mouth. "Yeah." He shifted his gaze over to his mother. "Tôi cần phải đi đâu đó với Johnny đầu tiên."

His mother smiled at both Johnny and Lance. "Cẩn thận bạn hai.[Be careful you two.]"

They nodded at her and walked towards the living room door when Lance's mother shouted, "Và tôi phải đáp ứng bạn gái của Johnny![And I must meet your girlfriend, Johnny!]"

Johnny stopped in his tracks and laughed, "Sẽ làm. [Will do.]" Lance laughed along and they walked off to their rides.

* * *

Hector crossed his arms and gazed at Fernando who was working on his 240. He decided to walk over to him and tapped his shoulder with uneasiness. "Primo."

Fernando turned his head and smiled. "What's wrong, cousin?"

"Johnny Tran está en su manera de hablar con usted.[Johnny Tran is on his way to talk to you.]" He scratched his neck nervously. "You be careful how you talk around him, no matter how much you might not like him."

"Hector! Qué demonios, hombre?" Fernando slammed his hood shut and glared at Hector. "Why the hell you gotta go tell him I'm here? Shoulda' lied!"

"C'mon Fernando, I work for him." Hector lowered his head and frowned. "Él sólo quiere hace algunas preguntas. [He just wants to ask a few questions.]"

Fernando buried his face into his hands and groaned, "Mejor ser sólo un par de preguntas. [Best be only a few questions.] Otherwise, I ain't answering anything else."

A GS300 along with a Honda CBR pulled up to Hector's garage and parked accordingly. Johnny took off his helmet and placed it on the motorcycle. He hopped off and approached the 240sx. "This yours?" He questioned, looking up at Fernando. Fernando nodded and rolled his eyes. "Si."

Hector lightly punched Fernando's arm and mumbled, "Hablar Inglés." To ease the moment, he forced himself to laugh and walked over to Johnny. "Nice seeing you, boss."

"Save the conversation for later. I'm a little busy right now." Johnny walked past Hector and stood infront of Fernando. "Mind if I ask you a few questions, kid?"

"Sure."

"You know any illegal engine swaps for the Nissan 240sx?"

"Maybe." Fernando crossed his arms over his chest and shot Johnny a cold glare before turning his gaze to his 240sx. "The SR20 is illegal, but many owners swap their shit for it. More power, I guess."

"Any other swaps that are possible?" He stroked his chin.

"It all depends on the owner and their preference."

"Say you wanted to swap the engine of an 240sx just like yours, so you get a RB25 or something. Is it possible for that swap to happen?"

"I'm not sure." Fernando shrugged. "I've only done research on SR20 swaps," He lied.

"You know about any new racers in town?" Johnny kept his hands behind his back while Lance stood beside him.

"Nah, I don't know about no new racers. Last one I saw, he lost his car to you." Fernando forced a laugh and cleared his throat.

"Alright, thanks for the talk, kid." Both Johnny and Lance turned away to approach their rides.

Quietly, Fernando sat on one of the nearby chairs and stared at Johnny intently. He shifted his gaze upward and tried to analyze Johnny's voice. It sounded extremely familiar for some odd reason but he couldn't remember why it did. Suddenly, a flashback hit him.

_"Hey Mama, where you at?" _

_"I'm at -" Her voice fades out and another person answers, "Hey she's a little busy right now." _

"That voice...Oh no." He buried his face into his hands and shook his head. "No. No. No." He jumped off the chair and pointed at Hector. "Este hijo de puta está tratando de averiguar lo que Julie tiene bajo el capó![This motherfucker is trying to figure out what Julie has under the hood!]"

Hector pointed back at Fernando and gave him an admonitory glare. "Cállate antes de que él se convierte en sospechoso. [Shut up before he becomes suspicious.]"

Johnny smirked and paused in his tracks before turning around. "Is there a problem, Hector?"

"No, boss. He's just talking about how messy my garage is." Hector replied hesitantly and punched Fernando on the arm.

"Shut the hell up, Hector." Fernando angrily said and pointed at Johnny. "No dejaré que este hijo de puta tomar el coche de Julie. Ella trabajó muy duro en ello![I will not let this motherfucker take Julie's car. She worked very hard on it!]"

Johnny turned around and glared at Fernando. "Speak English." Lance accompanied Johnny by his side.

"Bésame el culo de mierda.[Kiss my fucking ass.]" Fernando spat on the ground and stood up with his head held high. "Pedazo de mierda débil.[Weak piece of shit.]"

"I said, speak English!" Johnny swung a fist at Fernando and knocked him down easily. Hector hurriedly tried to get between the two and Lance pushed him out of the way. "Stay out of it."

"Fuck you." Fernando wiped the blood off his lips and spat on Johnny's shoes.

Johnny kicked him in the stomach continuously and stepped on his wrist "You don't know who you're messing with kid." He kicked his arm and smiled. "Hector, tame your cousin for me would ya'?" He looked over at Lance. "Lets go." They left minutes later.

Fernando groaned in pain as blood continued to spill from his mouth. "Bitch..." He curled his body and shut his eyes from all the pain. His upper abdomen was pulsing violently while his right arm was in the deepest of pain. It felt as though a knife had been severely stabbed in his wrist.

Hector rushed over to his side and placed both hands on his head, unsure of what to do. "Espera, voy a llamar al 911. Sólo espera![Wait, I'll call 911. Just wait!]" He tried to comfort Fernando while he held his phone to his ear. "Hello. We-" Fernando snatched the phone out of his hand and ended the call. "¿Dónde estaba el esfuerzo? El esfuerzo para tratar de ayudar a mí, primo.[Where was the effort? The effort to try to help me, cousin.]" He stood up and limped to his car. "Tú eres mi primo más cercano. Me siento traicionado.[You are my closest cousin. I feel betrayed.]"

"Fernando..." Hector sighed and lowered his head.

"I'm out." Fernando hopped into his 240sx and left the garage without further word. Although is stomach and wrist was in the worst of pain, he managed to make his way back home safely.

* * *

Kazuhiro parked infront of his house and exited the Supra. "Lets hope she makes it." He smiled to himself and entered his house. His little Shiba Inu, Kari, leaped into his arms and he shut the door behind him. "I missed you little guy."

Kari licked his cheeks and leaped out of his arms. He then dashed to the couch and scratched the couch softly. Kazuhiro walked over and smiled. "I wish you were taller." He laughed and kneeled down to lift him on to the couch. "I'll be leaving later tonight so I want you to guard this house for me, alright?" Kari barked and jumped into his arms. "And maybe I'll see if she's being honest about the KA." Kari tilted her head to one side and blinked. Kazuhiro petted her head and shook his head with a grin. "You don't understand me, haha."

* * *

Johnny and Lance returned to Lance's house and they approached the front door. They rung the door bell. There was no answer. They rung the door bell again. Still, there was no answer. They exchanged confused glances and returned their eyes to the door. "Is your mom here?" Johnny peeked through the window.

"Where else would she go? She drives my GS." Lance answered and banged on the door. "Ma?!"

The door slowly opened. Lance's mother had been listening to her iPod and Lance glared at her, snatching one earphone out of her ear. "Nhớ những gì tôi đã nói về tai nghe?[Remember what I said about headphones?]"

She laughed and nodded, "Tôi đã nghe bài hát yêu thích của tôi. Thực phẩm là trong lò nướng.[I was listening to my favorite songs. Food is in the oven.]"

Johnny chuckled, walking off to the living room. "Anh thật ngớ ngẩn. [You're so silly.]"

They all sat in the living room with the television on. Lance's mother was distracted by her favorite soap opera while Lance and Johnny began to converse.

"Got an idea of what's under her hood now?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, and now I'm really interested in racing her." He smirked.

"Race Wars is in a month from now." Lance patted his shoulder. "Make sure you prepare yourself well if you're up against her."

"How does a 2jz sound in an S2K?" Johnny snickered, cracking his knuckles. "Needs some tuning and boost and we'll be just fine."

"You never cease to surprise me, Johnny."

They laughed together.

* * *

**Johnny Tran's throwing a 2jz in his S2K? Woah! This is possibly one of the longest chapters I've written so far. Sorry if this chapter doesn't exactly focus on Julie but think about it...everyone's trying to figure out what's under Silvia's hood! Johnny Tran seems like an ass after beating Fernando harshly but curiosity gets the best of people at times, huh? Kazuhiro's looking forward to the meet tonight so we'll see what happens in the next chapter! And Leon? Yeap. Toretto's crew will soon be a part of this story too. I love that I'm gaining followers - it really does make me happy. Thank you so much! **


	5. The Meet

_Hi guys! Thanks so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews. Good to know that people are reading my story and are enjoying it from what I assume? I love you all. _

_**And I sincerely apologize for the really late updates! I've been busy with college stuff. Will try to update here and there. I thank you all for the patience. Please enjoy.**_

* * *

**The Meet**

It was 8:00 PM, the skies were beginning to darken while the evening atmosphere was still alive. Folks were gathering around restaurants sharing smiles and bright laughter. Racers gathered in lots, chattering about who was faster and whose car looked better. One rev, two revs, three revs - the racers would try to out best each other. Folks who were careless of the so-called "reckless and arrogant" racers would walk past and shake their heads in disappointment. The racers would continue revving loudly, annoying those who shook their heads.

_**Oh racers...**__The racers never cared for those ignorant of the racing world. They earn their stripes by driving 180hp+ on the highway or drifting at high speeds locally. Racers do what they want with their car, stay above the law, and respect the boundaries of other racers. It's not just a hobby or a game for them - racers take it as a gift to do such things in the first place. Racers are not just little boys and girls; they are men and women who strive to earn respect. And racers aren't "reckless and arrogant", they're courageous and creative. Those who are reckless - now they're the "hoodlums". There is a fine line between a hoodlum and a racer. Some will never understand. _

The parks were filled with lively folks even at a time like this. Children were dashing through the sand, fighting for the swings and adults sat on the benches, talking among each other. Dogs would chase after tennis balls and birds would flock away each time a dog approached their direction. It was overall a peaceful evening.

I sat beneath one of the trees in the park and continued to observe my surroundings. Thoughts of calling my father had then begun to appear in my mind and I grabbed my phone, looking down at my contacts. I dialed his number and brought the phone to my ear. _Ring, ring, ring. "Hello?" _I smiled instantly. "Pa! How are you?" He continued. _"Sorry if I cannot get to you now. I may be busy but leave a message." _Oh. It was his voice mail. I let out a sigh, ended the call, and placed the phone back into my pocket. It had already been a week since I last saw my father.

_He had his favorite jacket on - the jacket that Keiichi Tsuchiya (a professional racer, also known as "Drift King") signed. His hair was slicked back and his mustache had been shaved off. He was holding a bottle of water in one hand and a magazine in the other. Of course, the magazine had been from Japan. He told me how he was planning on moving to Japan for a year to begin his drifting career once more. The old man still had the energy of a 20 year old and his determination was no doubt amazing. _

_Although he had been heartbroken by the wrecked R34, he still had his other car or truck in this case. It was a Datsun 620. It was quite funny when we sat there,trying to start the truck. I was scared about missing my flight and he was just scared about the truck being officially dead. I shook my head and pointed out that he had been so occupied with his R34, the 620 just sat in the garage. He sighed, trying to start the truck once more and then bam! The engine roared. It started and off we went to the airport. We sat, waiting for the flight once we arrived. He sat, one leg crossed over the other and began reading his magazine. He nudged my arm and smiled, "Your 240sx is already being taken to your new apartment. When you get to LA, give the taxi cab the place in which you wish to go. They will take you to your new apartment. I believe I-" He blinked and shut the magazine. "I believe everything __should be n__ew and clean so you can have a comfy bed, nice kitchen, comfy couch, big tv..." I laughed and hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much, Pa. You know I'm going to miss your cooking the most." He patted my head. "That's why I taught my daughter the best meals. I'm sure you'll find a lovely guy right? Then you can cook for him...or him cook for you!" We laughed together and my flight was called. "Pa..." My eyes grew teary and he wiped my tears before they could fall. "You will do well, promise?" He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Go now." I rose out of my chair and began to walk over to the line. I turned around and waved. He waved with a soft smile and a small tear rolled down his cheeks. A crowd blocked my view and when the view cleared, my father was no longer there. The moment I sat in the plane, I stared out the window. I already missed my home. _

I tilted my head back and sighed. "Father, I met two guys so far. They're very strange." I laughed to myself and looked down. "You better take care of yourself or I'll have to return home." I had a feeling I looked crazy by talking to myself, but who else could I talk to when no one else accompanied me to the park?

Suddenly, my phone rang and I anxiously reached into my pocket. It was an unknown number. I answered and slowly brought the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Julie!" A familiar voice shouted. "You still thinking about the meet?"

It was Kazuhiro. "Hey, Hiro! Sure thing...but I have no idea of how to get to the beach."

"So you're going? Hey! Don't worry about it. Meet me at Takashi Auto Body and then you can follow me from there."

"And what time?"

"9:00 PM...so about an hour from now! Remember, wear a big sweater since it's going to be cold at the beach and don't eat too much or else you'll miss out on the best food."

"Sure thing." I smiled. "I'll see you later then. Bye!"

"Bye Julie!" We both ended the call at the same time.

I scratched the back of my head and smiled to myself. "I wonder what father would think if he met Kazuhiro." I shook my head. "Wait, what am I saying..." I lifted myself from the grass and began to walk over to my Silvia that had been parked along the curbs between a Nissan Altima and Toyota Corolla. Quietly, I entered the car and put the key into the ignition. As I started my car, the loud rumble from my exhaust set both alarms off from the Corolla and Altima. I shook my head and laughed. "Well, damn."

Since I had an hour or so to kill, I took this as a chance to just head home and shower. My phone began to ring again. I reached into my pocket and peeked at who was calling. It was my father. I answered and put the phone on speaker. "Hello, pa?"

"So sorry I could not answer earlier. Pa had to go to Uncle Sien's auto body for tuning. How are you?"

"Tuning? You mean for the 620?" I blinked. "I'm okay. I really miss you, Pa."

"I miss you too! Very much." He coughed. "We were adjusting the suspension for the 620. Now she sits low almost like the R34."

"You're such a car junkie at heart, Pa." I laughed, tears slowly pouring from my eyes. "Is everything well at the house?"

There was an awkward silence and then he answered faintly, "Yes, Julie. Pa is tired so he needs to get rest. Take care and I love you."

"I-I love you too Pa," I sighed as he ended the call. His voice brought nothing but tears to my eyes. I wasn't sure whether they were tears of joy or tears of sadness. I missed him too much to begin with.

Eventually, I arrived at my apartment and parked along the usual curb. I entered my apartment and locked the door. The next step was choosing an outfit for tonight's meet. I wasn't sure what was comfortable in this case so I grabbed a pair of grey sweats, a black v-neck, and a large white hoodie with, "ドリフト" [Drift] going across it. "I'm sure this will do just fine." I nodded and threw the outfit on to my bed, turning away to go shower.

* * *

Kazuhiro threw himself back onto his bed after taking a nice, hot shower. His hair was still wet, but he ignored it and sat up, looking over at his drawer. Quietly, he walked over and opened the first drawer, revealing two G22s (pistols) sitting beside each other. "I'll be taking you two with me." He gently grabbed them and placed them on the bed. His phone began to vibrate on his table and he rushed over to see who was calling. It was his brother, Takashi. He shut his eyes and had a small flashback.

* * *

_"Big brother, long time no talk." He leaned against his Supra and smirked._

_"Haved you been earning me money lately?"_

_"I'm earning enough brother. What else would you like to talk about?"_

_"Well, you successfuly set up the meet yes?" Takashi questioned sternly._

_"Of course."_

_"Good, good. You should be expecting some racers who owe me money. Because they have failed to pay us the money they owe, they should die."_

_"But Takashi, I have a very good friend who I cannot put in danger. She is new to the city and I thought maybe tonight would be a good night to get to know her."_

_"Little brother, little brother. You don't understand. The money IS MORE IMPORTANT!" Takashi rose his voice and growled. "Now if you do not handle the business, I will assure the men that you no longer have any type of ownership over the body shop. Is that understood?!"_

_"Takashi..." Kazuhiro slammed his fist onto the table and sighed. "Watashi wa tsumi no nai hitobito o korosu koto wa saketai.[I want to avoid killing innocent people.]"_

_"Anata wa okubyōmonoda! Anata no kazoku no tame no meiyo no kankaku ga arimasen! Kanashī hanashida."[You're a coward! There is no sense of honor for your family! How sad.]" Takashi argued and ended the call._

* * *

Kazuhiro opened his eyes and answered the call. He brought the phone to his ear and sighed, "Takashi."

"Fine, brother. I will allow this meet to go by smoothly but I cannot promise you that _all _things will go smoothly for everyone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kazuhiro squinted his eyes and stroked his chin. "I told you, no killing!"

"Haha," Takashi laughed carelessly and ended the call.

Kazuhiro threw the phone onto the bed and shook his head. "This can't be good." He scratched his head, threw on a white v-neck and slipped into a pair of blue jeans. He then placed the two guns in a case safely, slipped the phone into his pocket and exited his bedroom. Kari quickly ran to him and scratched his legs. "Sorry, little girl." Kazuhiro kneeled down and patted his head. "I'll see you later, alright?" Kari whined and sat patiently by the living room door. Quietly, Kazuhiro exited the house with the black case in his hand and a jacket in his other hand. He made his way to the Supra with a shaky smile. "Just think positive." He told himself over and over again as he entered it. "Just think positive."

* * *

The shower was relaxing - all because the hot water was finally fixed. I slipped into my outfit and quickly brushed my hair. I wasn't very fond of "caking" up my face for meets or any event so I reached for my mascara and my red lip balm. I applied the mascara carefully and blinked as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Not bad, I thought and applied the lip balm carefully. Afterwards, I grabbed my hoodie and walked out of the bedroom. I was getting used to the atmosphere now. Nice big TV sitting in the living room, a big bedroom and a nicely sized bathroom. This was all thanks to my father of course.

Suddenly, my phone rang and I reached into my sweats, pulling it out. "Oh. It's Kazuhiro." I answered with a faint smile. "Hi, Hiro."

"Uh, hey Julie. Meet me in a few?" He asked with uneasiness.

This was the first time I actually heard some hesitancy in his voice. Usually he would sound rather enthusiastic and optimistic. Something was wrong. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." He forced a chuckle. "Everything's fine. See you in abit." He quickly ended the call before I could say goodbye. "Huh, strange.." I mumbled and left my apartment. I entered my car and started the engine. It was 8:50, so I figured he wanted to meet early. Without further adieu, I drove off to Takashi's Auto Body to wait for Kazuhiro, unless he was already there waiting for me.

When I arrived at the auto body shop, Kazuhiro was parked along the curbs. His Supra was extremely beautiful at night - the tail lights had an aggressive shine and his wheels glistened under the moonlight. He stuck his hand out of his window and motioned to me to follow him. I nodded and began to follow behind slowly. A drive through the city at night was probably the most peaceful drive I've driven in awhile. A soft breeze would flow through my car from time to time and the city lights would shine over my Silvia, reflecting upon the deep, royal blue covering her. The night stars, even from the car, was an amazing sight. I had already been enjoying myself more than I expected.

Eventually, we arrived at the car meet and people were surrounding the lot at the beach. They threw their hands in the air when Kazuhiro pulled up and their eyes followed my car carefully. I rolled up my windows and parked beside a familiar looking R33. As I slipped out of my car, I noticed people had already begun surrounding my car, poking at it with curiosity. "Is that a S13 coupe?" "You're the only 240 here!" Then, the "hood popping" questions began. "When ya' gonna pop ya hood up girl?" "What's under the hood?" "Damn, girl. Pop the hood so we can see what you drivin'!"

I took a deep breath and shook my finger at vultures who had questioned me. "Sorry, folks. It's nothing special." I smiled and sat on the hood to avoid popping the hood.

"You know," a familiar voice chuckled. "You can't hide what's under that hood forever." I felt a hand on my left shoulder and I turned my head to face the direction in which the voice came from. It was Leon - the guy that I raced before heading over to Takashi Auto Body.

"Nice seeing you here." I smiled and laughed. "What's under this hood should not concern the viewers, only the drivers."

"I see you're well spoken," Leon smirked and nodded his head lightly. "And you drift too I take it?"

I looked down at my sweater and snapped my finger, "So you noticed?"

"I notice the smallest things and seeing how you don't bother to dress like the other girl racers with their really short shirts and shorts, it's rather attractive." He winked and laughed.

I shook my finger at him and smiled. "You're a funny one, Leon."

He pouted and scratched the back of his head. "I was being serious on that last statement, but I take it you're here for a meet - not here to hear me flirt with my bad pick up lines."

I nodded and turned my head forward to see Kazuhiro. He smiled at Leon and shook hands with him. "Nice seeing you, Leo. See you're already getting comfortable with Julie." He had a slight tone of anger in his voice. "Some of the food should be finished by now."

"I take it you two know each other." I crossed my arms and smiled at Kazuhiro.

Leon shrugged and laughed. "You could say that. They have worked on my R33 a few times. Ain't that right, Hiro?"

Kazuhiro nodded. "Yes." He appeared irritated at this point and grabbed my hand. "I figured you must be hungry by now." I slid off my hood and smiled at Leon. "It was nice talking to you."

Leon watched as we walked away and he threw his hands into the air. "My bad." He chuckled and walked off to talk to the other guys.

I stood beside Kazuhiro as he picked out a few ribs for him and I. I could tell he was jealous from the way he acted when he saw Leon talking to me. To calm him down, I reached for his arm and softly grabbed it. "Kazuhiro, are you okay?"

He stopped and looked down at me with a kind smile. "I'm fine Julie. Don't worry." He then continued to pick out the food and grabbed some forks. The potato salad and ribs looked so delicious together. We decided to sit at one of the tables (not to mention they were clumsily set up) and began to eat. The fine ribs were so delicious - all the barbecue had smothered onto my lips and I had to constantly wipe them to avoid embarrassment. Kazuhiro, on the other hand, was neat about it yet he ate faster than me.

He began to watch me eat, which made my cheeks flush. "You know it's really weird when others watch me eat." I mumbled and wiped my lips with another napkin. Kazuhiro giggled and tilted his head to one side. "But it's cute, Julie. Really cute. You eat like a hamster." I quickly shot a glance at him and pouted. "Not true!" My cheeks were red by this time. He continued to giggle and looked away. "Fine, I won't watch you." I giggled and nodded. "Thank you." He cleverly tried to sneak peeks at me and I grabbed a napkin, throwing it at his head. "You're not very sneaky!" He turned to face me and threw the napkin back at me, hitting my forehead directly. "And you're just so adorable with the way you eat. I can't resist something so cute." He retorted and I blushed again. "Agh!"

Sitting here with Kazuhiro felt different from when I sat down with Johnny. It was a different kind of vibe - a more comfortable and safe vibe. He was very cute too, sexy actually. His tattoos were the only things that seemed to bother me however. I have seen tattoos like that before, but never could I make out what it represented. For such a nice guy, his tattoos made him more aggressive. Perhaps I should just be more cautious in case.

"Is there something on your mind?" Kazuhiro snapped his fingers in front of my face and I shook my head. "Ah! I'm so sorry. I was spacing out." I gathered all my trash and tossed it into the garbage bag tied to one of the umbrellas. I thought it was odd to use umbrellas at night because there was no sunlight to block. At night, you had basically had an infinite amount of shade.

I returned to my seat and smiled, reaching into my pocket. Where was my phone? My gaze shifted to Kazuhiro and I faintly smiled. "I need to go to my car for a quick second."

"Alright." He nodded and sat there drinking a can of Sprite to himself.

I got up and walked over to my car, hearing the loud revs of cars entering the lot. I suppose more drivers were still appearing at the meet. While walking, I noticed Ichiro and Natsuki walking over to their cars at the same time. They had very stern expressions on their face as though they were angry. I stood by my driver side door and dug into my left pocket of the sweats for the car keys. Right when I grabbed hold of my keys, I heard a loud gunshot. "What?" I felt a rough tug from behind and fell onto the floor roughly. Someone had pulled my down. The gunshots continued and I covered my ears helplessly. I had a huge fear of loud noises such as gunshots, so I sat there crying to myself. Leon had accompanied me and gestured the others to get down. Everybody dropped to the floor and panicked. They hurried off their cars while the gunshots went off.

Curious, I peeked at what was going on and I could see with my own eyes men getting killed. My eyes widened and I made eye contact with Kazuhiro. He was definitely shocked and he rushed over to his car in the midst of the shootout. On the other side stood a group of men with pistols pointed at Natsuki and Ichiro's direction. Those men must've been the people who just arrived at the meet. Leon quickly grabbed me and pulled me back down. "Don't poke your head out like that or you'll lose your fucking head." He gasped. "Julie, you're bleeding!" I panicked. "Where?!" He pointed at my arm and I felt my heart drop instantly. "Your left arm! You gotta get to an ambulance fast!"

_I had been shot for the first time. This pain - this strong pain in my arm, what was this pain? I didn't realize I was shot because I had been too focused on Kazuhiro. It was like a nightmare watching the shootout happen. Was I waking to an actual nightmare for the first time?_

I tried hard not to pay attention to my arm and looked at Kazuhiro. Everything had gone in slow motion. He gestured me to leave and I could hear him scream, "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" I was next to my car so I took this as a chance to leave. Without another word, I opened my door and slammed it shut, starting the engine with shaky hands. The gunshots continued. I sped out of the lot and seperated from the other racers. I wasn't sure of how to get back to my apartment so I just took off where the road would lead me. Surely, this was a dangerous idea but what other choice did I have?

My heart was beating out of my chest and my palms became sweaty. I thought I would have never heard the sound of gunshots again in my life. My only expectations tonight were to go to a meet and to get to know new people. I wasn't planning on seeing people die tonight.

My left arm began to pulse violently and I knew I was losing too much blood. I grabbed my phone and figured if I called 911, the cops would probably discover what's under my hood and charge me with a fine or possibly arrest me. No. I couldn't risk that.

Instead I pulled over to the side (where the beach was clearly visible) and pulled the keys out of the ignition. It was silent. No one had been out. Tears poured from my eyes and I leaned my head against my steering wheel with my right hand on the place I had been shot. It was best to pull off the sweater even though the pain was horrid. I tossed the sweater to the side and the tears wouldn't stop falling.

"I want to go home..." I cried. "I want to go home.." I dialed Fernando's number and waited for him to answer. He didn't answer. I called again. Still no answer. "Fernando, please answer!" I cried loudly, trying to redial his number again.

* * *

"Aye, pinche madre. Who the fuck is bothering me?" Fernando looked at his phone and rolled his eyes. "Deal with Johnny Tran yourself." He threw his phone onto the table and grabbed the pillow, covering his ears with it.

He was angry at the fact that Julie lied to him. He had warned her the night before that Johnny was someone she shouldn't mess with but she ignored his warnings. He didn't care what Johnny was going to do at this point.

The phone continued to ring, and he put it on silent. There were at least 10 missed calls from Julie yet he didn't bother answering any.

Grabbing another bottle of budweiser from his little fridge in his room, he sat on his bed and popped it open. "One warning's enough. She should know not to betray me too." He drank the entire bottle in one gulp and threw it onto the floor next to the other 10 he had drunk. "You gonna learn your lesson." He lied back down and fell asleep.

* * *

Kazuhiro pulled out the case that sat on his passenger seat. He popped it open and pulled out the two G22s that sat there safety. Turning the safety off, he fired at the other racers. They hid behind their car and fired one at a time. Kazuhiro hid behind his driver side door and fired back at them. It was a long shootout.

Natsuki and Ichiro, along with a few others from their crew had fired from behind their cars. Their marksmanship was impressive since they basically shot every man they targeted. Unfortunately, Natsuki was shot and immediately collapsed. Ichiro and one of his men hurried to his side and screamed, "DIE!" A fire burned in his heart and Ichiro shot every man down. Kazuhiro took down the last man who happened to be the person that owed money to his older brother.

"Kare wa chi o ushinatte iru![He is losing blood!]" Ichiro cried while he held Natsuki in his arms. "Please, we need doctor now!"

Kazuhiro walked over to Ichiro and slapped him across the cheek, leaving a red mark. "You see what happens when you listen to Takashi!?" He pointed at Ichiro and growled. "You take him to the hospital now and don't speak of this!"

Ichiro lowered his head in shame. "Gomen nasai." He rose his head and looked up at Kazuhiro. "Anata wa doko ni iku nodarou ka?[Where will you go?]"

"I'm concerned about Julie." He pointed at one of the men who kneeled beside Ichiro. "Take Natsuki's car back to the shop. Nowhere else." The man nodded and entered Natsuki's car. Kazu then shifted his gaze down to Ichiro. "Ichiro, leave now!" He stormed off to his Supra and drove off while the others dispersed into their cars. All the men they had shot down lied there bleeding out. No one was left alive in the end.

* * *

"Why isn't he answering?" I pounded my fists against the steering wheel and cried helplessly.

The loud rumble of an exhaust roared from behind. I pushed open the driver side door with all my might and slid out of my seat. I turned my head and my eyes widened. It was Kazuhiro. He rushed over to me and examined my wound. "You've been shot, Julie. I'm so sorry." He took off his shirt and tore a part of it. He then tied it around my wound and tied it tightly enough to stop the bleeding. I cried in the process and found myself holding onto his hand. "Kazuhiro...I want to go home." He shook his head and sighed. "Will you be able to drive home?"

I threw a thumbs up. "I think I can..."

"Alright, lets head to your place. I have a first aid kit in my car so I can stitch up your wounds. It's too risky over here." He sighed and helped me back into my car. "I'll follow..."

I backtracked from where we first left when we were at Takashi Auto Body and traveled home from there. Kazuhiro had been following me from behind. He was very concerned about the fact that I had been shot on the arm. Yes, I lost a lot of blood but it was nothing to be extremely concerned about.

After awhile, we finally arrived at my apartment. My left arm was in too much pain so I couldn't open the car door. This was probably too embarrassing to think about. Kazu easily opened the car door and lifted me out. He shut the door and helped me lock it before helping me to the apartment door. "I wasn't able to protect you..." He sighed as we entered the apartment. I shook my head and sat on the couch. "It was never your job to protect me." I added and tilted my head back. He held out his first aid kit and placed it on the table. "I'll need to get that bullet out of your arm, and yes, you will be in pain for the next 20 minutes or so." I grabbed the pillow beside me and nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

Gently, Kazuhiro ran his fingers across the cloth he tied around my wound and untied it. He tossed it on the ground and had a tweezer of some kind in his hand. I took a deep breath and bit into the pillow I had in my hand. He nodded and began to pull out the bullet. I bit harder into the pillow while tears were falling from my cheeks. The pain was unbearable. He continued to pick at the wound until finally he was able to get the bullet out. I released the pillow from the grip of my teeth and observed the bullet. He smiled and placed the bullet on the table. "From a pistol, so it's not too bad." I nodded and wiped the tears from my eyes. "I suppose this is the part where you tell me I have to deal with the pain from stitches?"

Grabbing a syringe from he first aid kit, he injected my arm causing it to feel numb. I blinked and sighed in relief. "This won't be a painful experience then."

"Not yet." He assured and began stitching the wound. I couldn't feel a thing. "You know for a tough guy, you have a gentle touch."

Kazuhiro blushed and continued stitching. "I have to be gentle to precious things."

"Kazu..." My cheeks were hot and my lips curved upwards. "I'm really thankful that you helped me. If I called 911, I'm sure they would've taken my car."

"Or worst, taken you." He let out a sigh and smiled. "Finally. We're finished here."

I smiled brightly and gave him a light hug. "Thank you so much Kazuhiro."

"No need for thanks, " he patted my head and stood up. "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head and my stomach growled loudly. We exchanged glances and started laughing. "A little."

"I can help cook," he said happily and walked over to the kitchen. "Have some steak?"

I rose up and hurried off to the fridge, opening the top door. "Yes, sir! What do you plan on cooking?"

"Well seasoned steaks of course...if you have the seasonings." He snickered and opened one of the kitchen drawers, revealing the seasonings. "Nice, nice." I'll cook unless you'd like to help."

"Sure!"

* * *

The clock read 10:47PM. It was late already but my kitchen had sizzled with goodness. Kazuhiro began to season the steaks with black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. I was peeling the garlic that he handed me while he had occupied himself with seasoning. The smell of the seasoned steaks snuck into my nostrils and sent a shiver down my spine. It smelled delicious! I felt my mouth watering up while the aroma danced around me. This was the first time I had ever had a man (who in any case was wearing a tank top revealing his toned chest and _was not my father)_ cook beside me.

From time to time, I found my eyes gazing at his muscles along with the tattoos that covered his upper arms. When Kazu caught me looking, I would make up a pathetic excuse like "I thought I saw a bug on your arm". It surprisingly worked for awhile until he caught onto why I was staring.I avoided contact with him from there, focusing my eyes on the steak that was frying in front of me. He then placed a soft kiss on my cheek and tried to mock me by making up an excuse as well. "I'm sorry, there was some left over seasoning on your cheek. Couldn't let it go to waste." _I knew he was lying._

Oil popped around as I fried the steak and Kazu threw in the peeled garlic. The smell was dancing around the entire kitchen now. My left arm was still numb so I basically was frying with one hand only. Kazuhiro was grabbing the plates for the steak and placed it beside the oven. "Whenever you're ready to get them out, you can place them on these." I nodded. "Thanks."

When the food finally finished, I carefully tossed the steaks onto the plate and finished the meal by delicately placing pieces of cilantro atop the steaks. Now it looked like a masterpiece. "Thank you for helping me." I smiled at Kazu and we brought our plates to the living room table. We sat beside each other and exchanged happy glances. "Looks delicious." He smiled at me and began eating. I slowly ate because of my left arm not being of any use. Kazuhiro decided to help me out by slicing pieces of steak for me and I used my right hand to eat. I almost felt like a child because he was helping me way too much. Talk about embarrassing We finished our meals and he placed the plates in the sink while I tried to find a good channel to watch on TV. Spongebob was playing.

Kazuhiro joined me on the couch and shook his head. "You watch Spongebob at an age like this?" I rolled my eyes. "Spongebob can be a funny at times." I poked his arm lightly and he smiled. "You're a silly girl." He chuckled and turned his gaze to the TV. In time, he was interested in watching more episodes of Spongebob. His attentiveness was interesting to see. He'd laugh when Spongebob and Patrick attempted something stupid then sigh when their attempts became less funny. He'd lean in when the next episode would play then lean back when the episode's not as interesting.

Suddenly, he turned his gaze to me and grinned. "You're tired aren't you?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not too tired." My eyes were heavy and it made it obvious I was tired. "I can watch a few more episodes."

He nodded and gazed into my eyes deeply. This was a look I have never seen him give me before. It was so different. "You know Julie..."

I stared into his hazel eyes and admired the richness of beauty that was hidden within those eyes. His eyes. "Yes Kazuhiro?"

He leaned in closely and cupped my cheeks with his hands. "I like you." His gaze shifted to my lips and he smiled. "I like you a lot."

My heart was racing after he had cupped my cheeks. "Really...?" I felt our lips growing closer and I shut my eyes, puckering my lips slightly. Then, it happened. Our lips collided and the sweet sensation from his lips tingled across my lips just from one kiss. I could slightly taste the seasoning from the steak too but I didn't bother mentioning it. He leaned in for another kiss and I accepted.

This time, the kiss was passionate. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I wrapped my right arm around his neck. He left a trail of kisses from my lips down to my neck and bit lightly where I was most sensitive. I let out a giggle and hid my face with my right hand. He removed my hand from my face and kissed my nose. "There is no need to hide that cute face of yours."

He released me from his arms and smiled. "Julie, I'll wait for you..." I leaned forward and smiled. "You really will?" He reached for my hands and grabbed them. "Of course. Until then, I need you to rest so your arm can heal." _Back to the arm again... _"Okay." I sighed and stood up. He stood up as well and walked over to the living room door. "I must return home however, so you take care. I'll stop by if you need anything." I walked over and smiled. "Okay." He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and left the apartment.

I turned away and turned off the TV. I clapped my hands and the lights went off. Entering the bathroom, I removed the makeup, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. My eyes were growing heavy thus I decided it was best to sleep now. I hopped onto my bed and lied down on my back, staring at the ceiling until my vision was black - until I could not see anything at all.

_I cant't believe Kazuhiro was my first kiss. He was my __**first kiss. **__I mean as a 21 year old, I should've already had my first by now but it never happened. Was I really falling for this guy? He saved me twice already - and I haven't done anything back in return. What should I do? I think I'm falling for him..._

* * *

**OOS (Out of Story):**

**I think you guys probably want to know when Julie falls for Johnny BUT Kazuhiro took a step ahead to make her fall for him first. This chapter did contain some intimacy but nothing that'll make you cringe. Fernando's drinking habit is pretty bad too as you might've figured after seeing how he drank 10 bottles already. It caused him to ignore his own best friend. You'll have to wait for what happens in the next chapter! Thanks for reading. Good day to you all. **


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